Surveillance Radar Selected for Unmanned MQ-8B Fire Scouts

Northrop Grumman selected a Telephonics multimode surveillance radar to equip U.S. Navy MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned helicopters under a rapid deployment capability program. The company awarded Telephonics a $33 million contract for the production, integration and testing of nine radar systems.

The Telephonics RDR-1700B+ radar, designated AN/ZPY-4(V)1 by the military, is an X-band search radar that will give the Fire Scout wide-area search and long-range imaging capability to supplement its FLIR Systems Brite Star II electro-optical/infrared payload. It provides inverse synthetic aperture (ISAR), stripmap and spotlight SAR modes for imaging targets. The radar aperture will be positioned in the nose of the aircraft, which is based on the Sikorsky-Schweizer 333 manned helicopter. The radar system weighs less than 75 pounds, according to Telephonics.

Responding to an AIN query, Fire Scout prime contractor Northrop Grumman said it has delivered 23 MQ-8Bs to date, and will deliver another seven by year-end. The company is scheduled to complete flight-testing with the radar in May next year, followed by the delivery of spares kits that June. The Navy plans to acquire 168 MQ-8Bs; three have been reported lost in crashes, including one shot down over Libya in June 2011.

Comments

This is the part I don't get. We build something new and then smear the internet
and news with all the details of the project ...... WHY? ..... might as well give them all the blueprints for it too. What's the point? ..... Simply amazing! Truly Stupid!!